The Oil Can Guitar
Mac Arnold is a famous bluesman from Pelzer, South Carolina. One of the Blues’ finest bass players, Mac backed not only the "Muddy Waters Blues Band", but also James Brown, John Lee Hooker, Otis Spann and many others. Mac Arnold and his band, "A Platter full of Blues" are truly an exciting band to see. Their CD "Nothing to Prove" is burning up the airways nationally and internationally.
Mac met Michael at the Double Door Inn here in Charlotte, in January 2005. The warm friendship between the two musicians and their wives, Vonda and Sharon, has developed into a strong bond over the past year.
When Mac was coming up as a kid, real instruments were a luxury not easily afforded. Mac's brother, Leroy, built his first guitar out of a gas can. He used a homemade stick neck with bailing wire for frets and screen wire for strings. Mac decided a few months ago to go back to his brother Leroy's idea and make gas can guitars for himself to play slide and rhythm guitar on.
Late
one night, at Mac and Vonda's house in Pelzer, Michael was playing slide on one
of Mac's creations and an idea came to him.
Michael had a 1966 Fender Jaguar that was not in use. Mac and Michael
decided to chop the guitar into a rectangle.
Mac then went one step further and fitted the reconfigured guitar into a
Sears oil can, added new pickups and the Mac Arnold Oil Can guitar was born. From time to time, you will see Michael playing this
instrument at "Michael Wolf and A Side of Blues" gigs.
